With almost zero public statements — which also means “nothing in the way of a potential story or news of a signed director” — it’s hard to believe the wheels are really turning on Jurassic Park IV. What we’ve got isn’t half-bad, though. Rise of the Planet of the Apes scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver — two folks who, on the aforementioned film, displayed a skill with structure and non-human character development — were recently tapped by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy to fashion a screenplay. That’s kind of it, to be honest — but we’re getting somewhere.

It hasn’t been said where their work stands right now — I’d like to think they aren’t too far along in only one month — which only serves to make some recent comments from Frank Marshall all the more surprising. Whilst talking to Collider, the super-producer revealed that the still-gestating film should be, and I quote, “on the screen within two years.” Crazy, sure, but this correlates directly with what Spielberg said at Comic-Con last year, though none of us were all too confident this would actually pan out as hoped. (I’m still skeptical, frankly.)

So there you have it with the release window; limiting as that may sound, the sky’s the limit when it comes to special effects. It’s obvious, as Marshall said, that their massive resources will let the team “really do some great things” — a talking triceratops? — so I take it with all the more positivity that practical models will be used alongside digital creations. He considers it a necessity for the same reason as yours truly: It “not only feels real to the audience, but aids the actors in their performances.”

We’ll have more on Jurassic Park IV when the information comes in.

Is 2014 even possible for a big production like Jurassic Park IV? How do you feel about this plan for special effects?